After local law enforcement unveiled a donated 36,000-pound armored vehicle, the St. Joseph/Buchanan County Special Response Team believed the expanded armored fleet is needed for the safety of Buchanan County.

“I don’t think it’s a need in the sense that ‘We’ve got to have it, got to use it, got to get it out,’ but we need that capability,” said Capt. Tiger Parsons with the Sheriff’s Department and member of the SRT unit. “We have to have the capability to save someone’s life, because the one time we would need it, but didn’t have it, the public would be screaming ‘Why didn’t those deputies go in?’”

Last week, the Sheriff’s Department received a $700,000 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, or MRAP, through a military surplus program. The large, demilitarized vehicle was decommissioned and became a part of a U.S. Department of Defense program that designates vehicles available to local law enforcement across the country.

Expanding the fleet

The MRAP is not the first armored vehicle designated to the St. Joseph Police Department, Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department or jointly used by the SRT unit.

In March, the police purchased a tactical, armored vehicle named the Bearcat to protect officers, victims and other parties in critical situations. At the cost of more than $300,000, Mr. Parsons said the Bearcat is an offensive tool, but has yet to be used in any local operation.

“The Bearcat has offense capabilities that the MRAP does not,” Mr. Parsons said. “Another big difference is that the Bearcat is a lot more maneuverable.”

Recently, SRT members were notified of the MRAP availability and traveled to Texas to drive the vehicle back to Buchanan County. Although much larger than the typical vehicle, Mr. Parsons said the new, defensive vehicle has one simple purpose – safety.

“The MRAP is basically just a big chunk of rolling armor and it doesn’t have any weapons or any offensive capabilities,” he said. “It is merely capable of moving officers, civilians, injured people or, you name it, through an area.”